1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an amalgam-free catalytic alloy of materials for the dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen gases, and to methods for making this alloy.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the continuing effort to provide an alternative fuel to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to reduce or eliminate the pollution from the burning of fossil fuels it is generally agreed that the element hydrogen is the most abundant fuel in the universe and the most non-polluting, since the reaction product of its combustion is pure water. Despite its widespread availability and obvious virtues, hydrogen has not yet been utilized as a fuel of choice due to a number of technological problems which have not as yet been solved. These problems generally relate to devising safe, efficient, and economical methods of production, storage, transport, and utilization of hydrogen in sufficient quantities to make use of this fuel economically feasible.
Many methods have been described for the generation of hydrogen gas in almost unlimited quantities. The elementary electrolysis of water, gasification of coal, steam reforming of natural gas, partial oxidation of heavy oils and the use of nuclear reactors to break down steam into its component elements are the most common. Without exception, however, these schemes for production of large quantities of hydrogen gas require extensive capital equipment, large production capabilities, and an input of significant external energy.
In addition, hydrogen gas is a highly explosive element. Therefore the storage and transport of the gas as a fuel presents multiple problems in efficiency and safety which, despite numerous ingenious endeavors, have not as yet been solved sufficiently to provide a safe and economically viable utilization of the gas as an alternative fuel. To overcome the problems of storage and transport of the gas a number of investigators have devised various methods of generating the gas on a demand basis at the point of utilization. Though most utilize a thermo-chemical or electrochemical scheme to dissociate water into either hydrogen and a salt, or into hydrogen and oxygen, work has also been done on the reforming of natural gases and gasoline into hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
It is known that the alkali metals react with water to form hydrogen and the stable alkali metal hydroxide (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,817,157, 5,782,464, Checketts, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference). The foregoing reaction, however, is rapid and violent, the heat generated is intense, and explosion of the hydrogen often occurs. In order for the technique in the Checketts patent, for example, to provide sufficient hydrogen for any practical purpose the size of the sodium pellets presented sequentially to the water would have to be of such size as to initiate the violent, rapid and dangerous reaction noted.
It is also known that the reaction of alkali hydroxides with a metal and water will also release hydrogen and form the alkali-metal hydroxide (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,902, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference). These techniques, however, can also result in rapid and violent reaction. They also produce an alkali-metal hydroxide, which can rapidly deteriorate the efficacy of the technique. Numerous closed cycle, often multi-stepped processes, which dissociate water into hydrogen and oxygen are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,821,358; 3,928,549; 4,011,305; 3,969,495 and 3,574,561, the entire contents of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Of particular interest are the simple methods of dissociating water into hydrogen and oxygen as demonstrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,182,748; 4,207,095; 4,287,169, and 4,289,744, issued to Eugene R. Anderson, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. These patents utilize a combination of alkali metals with an extender and catalysts to control the rate of reaction and to restore the alkali metals to their elemental state as the process proceeds.
Unfortunately, from the description of the invention in these related (Anderson) patents a person reasonably skilled in the art is unable, by following the procedures as described, to actually fabricate such a catalytic alloy that will function as claimed. The description describes a multi-step process in which an amalgam of mercury, aluminum and sodium is prepared; an alloy of metal extender and various catalysts are prepared; both the amalgam and alloy are ground to a fine powder; the powders are intermixed; and the mixture, under high pressure, is heated to the melting point of the mixture. The resulting product is then cooled and supposedly ready for use. While an amalgam of mercury, aluminum and sodium is a logical step to gain a mixture of two metals which will not naturally alloy, the procedures described for the formation of the amalgam at elevated temperatures in a graphite crucible in a nitrogen atmosphere will quite often result in the formation of fulminate of mercury, a highly explosive compound. While the amalgam is ostensibly a part of the finished product, the heating of the eutectic mass under pressure to its melting point requires a temperature considerably above the sublimation and boiling point of mercury. The result is that the mercury is driven off in a vapor, destroying the amalgam, and in a nitrogen atmosphere, also can form fulminate of mercury. At the elevated temperatures this compound can explode violently. (The Wills Point, Tex., “Chronicle” reported several such explosions in Mr. Anderson's facility in that community in 1979 and 1980). Additionally, as no provisions are made for the collection of the mercury fumes, which are highly poisonous, the atmosphere of the fabricating facility would be exceedingly hazardous to the operators.
In other words, though the patent claims a combination of an amalgam of mercury, sodium and aluminum with a catalytic alloy, no such combination can exist following the described procedure. The amalgam would be destroyed, thus allowing the sodium and aluminum to separate; the homogenous mixing of the elements with the catalysts could not occur; thus the purpose of the invention is defeated.
In order for the chemical reactions to occur as described, it is necessary that water be brought into intimate contact with the sodium, that the formed sodium hydroxide be brought into intimate contact with the aluminum, and that the formed sodium-aluminum hydroxide be brought into intimate contact with the catalyst. By forming the alloy into a block in which the sodium and aluminum have been separated (no longer existing as an amalgam), and in which the major portion of the constituents are in the interior of the block, the contact of the water is limited to the surface of the block and the major portion of the alloy is therefore inert. It is interesting to note, as reported in “Texas Monthly”, that in the decades following the issuance of the patents Mr. Anderson was unable to actually fabricate and use his invention.